57: Chapter 57 Spirit Stones

[Your memory felt as if it had been ripped open by someone.]

[Late autumn in Yunjin City, the third alley east of the entrance to Yongan Street, a lame man leaning on a crutch.]

[Back then, you called him Young Master Li.]

[It was because one day when you returned from outside the city and passed by the alley entrance, you saw two young thugs you knew cornering a lame young man. They were snatching the medicine packet in his hands, one pulling his sleeve, the other kicking his crutch.]

[That scene was truly enough to make anyone who heard of it weep.]

[So, you stepped forward and said, "I'm going to tell your parents." Seeing it was you, those two thugs were so scared they took to their heels.]

[The lame man said his surname was Li, that he came from out of town, and that his leg was broken from a fall, so he was recuperating in the city.]

[Later, as you became familiar, he asked you to run errands to get his medicine, paying five wen each time.]

[You even felt that this was a case of good people being rewarded.]

[Unexpectedly.]

["You are that... Young Master Li?" Your voice felt tight. "Did you use a disguise?"]

[The corners of Wei Feisen's mouth curled up.]

["Mm."]

[Just one word.]

[You didn't know what to say.]

[Wei Feisen leaned against the ground, no longer looking at you, but instead tilted his head to watch the stream. The surface of the water reflected the gray sky and the silhouettes of the pine forest.]

["Dying by your hands," he suddenly said, his voice very, very soft, "is not too bad."]

[You didn't respond.]

["I'm tired."]

[His breathing became shallower and shallower, and the rise and fall of his chest visibly weakened.]

["If you don't mind the trouble... bury me in that alley on the South Street of Yunjin City. Under the old locust tree next to the tea shop."]

[You lowered your head and glanced at him.]

["No."]

[Wei Feisen was stunned for a moment.]

["I have to return you to nature."]

["What do you mean?"]

["Feed the wolves."]

[Wei Feisen stared at you for two breaths, then suddenly laughed. It wasn't a bitter laugh, nor was it a crazed laugh; he truly laughed. The laughter was short, and after only a few chuckles, it turned into a cough, and blood gushed from the corners of his mouth again.]

["Feeding the wolves it is."]

[His voice seemed to come from very far away.]

[Then, he tremblingly raised his right hand. That hand shook violently, like a candle in the wind.]

["The thing you want... is in... is in..."]

[His finger pointed toward the fallen black figure deep in the pine forest.]

[His fingertip paused in the air for a moment.]

[Then, it dropped.]

[His chest stopped rising and falling.]

[A trace of a smile still hung on the corners of his mouth that he hadn't had time to pull back.]

[You squatted beside him and remained silent for a few breaths.]

[Then you stood up.]

["Damn it, finish your sentences when you speak," you cursed in a low voice. "You wait until the very end to speak, and even then, you only say half of it."]

[You had previously thought he didn't intend to tell you, and you were already prepared to come back in the next simulation to force it out of him.]

[It turned out he really wanted to say it.]

[He just didn't have time to finish.]

[Your gaze fell on the direction he pointed, that motionless Puppet lying in the pine forest.]

[Could the thing be on the Puppet?]

[You carried your sword and walked toward the Puppet.]

[You squatted in front of the Puppet and examined it carefully.]

[Beneath the black robe, the shell of this thing was cast from a metal you had never seen before. The surface was dark gray, and when your fingertips touched it, it felt cold and smooth, without any traces of forging, nor any rivets, welds, or seams.]

[It was seamless.]

[Your fingers felt around its chest and, three inches below the collarbone, you touched a very thin groove.]

[You pried it with your fingernail.]

["Click."]

[A palm-sized panel popped open, revealing a cavity the size of a fist.]

[Inside, three stones were arranged neatly, each about the size of a quail egg. They were irregular in shape, completely transparent, and had a faint luster flowing on their surfaces. Two emitted a pale blue fluorescent glow, while the third's light was significantly dimmer.]

[You picked one up and held it in your palm.]

[It felt warm and smooth to the touch, with an extremely faint vibration, as if something was slowly flowing inside the stone.]

[Spirit Stone.]

[You could almost be certain that this was the "Spirit Stone" used by Immortal Cultivators.]

[Wei Feisen said there were "several blue stones that can power the Puppet" in the cloth bag left behind by the Immortal, and the color and description of this thing matched perfectly.]

[You carefully put away the three Spirit Stones and continued to feel deeper into the cavity.]

[Your fingertips touched several porcelain bottles.]

[You took them out one by one and pulled out the stoppers.]

[They were all empty.]

[You brought the bottle opening close to your nose and sniffed. There was an extremely faint, indescribable fragrance, different from any medicinal herb you had ever smelled; it was richer, cleaner, as if some kind of aura had been condensed directly into liquid.]

["This should be the Medicinal Pill," you said in a low voice.]

[Wei Feisen said the Medicinal Pill had long been eaten, so these empty bottles were the containers for the "Immortal Medicinal Pill" he spoke of. Although not a drop remained, the bottles themselves might be useful. At the very least, your current knowledge of the Cultivation World was near zero, and any tangible object was worth keeping.]

[Five empty bottles; you didn't throw away a single one and kept them all.]

[At the very bottom of the cavity, there was a stack of things.]

[You reached in and pulled them out.]

[They were four thin booklets with yellowed covers, roughly stitched together with thread.]

[You opened the first one, and on the title page were four characters: "Green Vessel Hundred Forging Record."]

[The signature technique of the Qingqi Sect.]

[Your pupils constricted.]

[Half a year ago, the Qingqi Sect was uprooted by the Black Tiger Gang, and not a single soul was spared. This Cultivation Technique was famous for its "Internal Energy Body Tempering." After reaching Major Achievement, one's skin and flesh would be comparable to fine steel, known as "Physical Body as a Vessel." Back then, the Qingqi Sect Leader relied on this method to withstand three strikes from an Earthly Immortal while at the Great Grandmaster level without falling, which was passed down as a legendary tale in the Martial Forest.]

[The second one, "Cloud-Shattering Palm Scripture," had an additional note attached that read, "Taken from Luoxia Villa." The third one, "White Python Entangling Silk Strength," had a note that read, "Taken from Poison Dragon Stronghold." The fourth one, "Nine-Turn Origin-Returning Technique," had a note that read, "Taken from Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."]

[They were all core Cultivation Techniques that Wei Feisen had plundered from various sects and factions.]

[You flipped through the four Cultivation Techniques, and using your "Eidetic Memory" trait, you engraved them page by page into your mind. Then, you wrapped them, along with the Spirit Stones and empty bottles, in a cloth and carefully tied it to your back.]

[You stood up, looked at the Puppet, and then looked at the depths of the pine forest behind you.]

[This thing was too conspicuous.]

[In case the Black Tiger Gang had any backup plans, if someone followed the clues and found an "Immortal Puppet" lying on the ground, things would get complicated.]

[You bent down and tried to move it.]

[It was dead weight.]

[It weighed at least six or seven hundred jin.]

[You channeled your True Qi and dragged it, step by step, into the depths of the pine forest. A quarter of an hour later, you found a spot in a natural cave blocked by falling rocks, shoved the Puppet inside, moved a few large stones to block the entrance, and covered it with dead branches and leaves for camouflage.]

[After finishing this, you straightened your back and caught your breath.]

[Then you returned to the stream.]

[Wei Feisen was still lying there.]

[The trace of a smile on the corners of his mouth had not yet dissipated.]

[You stood beside him and looked down for a few breaths.]

[You were somewhat hesitant.]

[Finally, you sighed, bent down, grabbed his collar, and dragged his corpse, step by step, toward the direction of the cliff.]